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Post subject: mercury magnetics champ 600 mod
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 4:06 pm
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hey guys

this is my first post...

i have taken guitar back up after a 7 year hiatus (and 7 years ago i wasnt that good)

i am currently the proud owner of a fender champ 600 5w amp

mercury magnetics apparently has an upgrade kit for roughly $250

has anyone installed one of these bad boys?
is it worth it?
(if this was already discussed in a previous thread please direct me and i wont waste anyone's time)

i understand with all things said and done that the amp ($180)
and the upgrade ($250)
will already get me into boutique amp territory...is it even worth it?

i just love the vibe and small wattage of the champ not to mention the looks but i want a little more umph!
(i know some of you changed tubes and got a weber 6")
but i am curious first about the mercury kit...it apparently is a miracle...if there is no positive reviews...then maybe ill consider a swap of tubes and speakers...

i have a les paul, a martin, and a '62 american vintage reissue strat in olympic white with mint pickguard...it is sooo fresh!

any input would be great!

thanks everyone!


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:11 am
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wow...i know this is a pretty obscure topic...finding any info not on the mercury magnetics site is a bit of a challenge...

everyone raves about what their kit has done to an epi valve jr.
and im sure the champ 600 mod is solid too but is it worth the money?

(i can imagine a lot of people thinking its not because i can get a blues jr, or an orange crush with reverb or a handful of other nice amps...the problem is that i love the look of the 600 and soundwise i am almost completely happy with it...i just dont want to grow out of it in a few years)

the kit from mercury may be my answer for keeping the cool looks/vibe, yet allowing me to have a rig that can handle more venues than just my bedroom!

anyone with any experience on these?
or at least a link to a video?


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Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:45 am
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Hey i have modded my little valveking 8 and it's crazy sweet now... that being said, i would look into getting parts individually to save some cash and get the same or a better result. Here's a good link: http://300guitars.com/index.php/article ... mpion-600/

He suggests the MOD 6'' but i would go with a Weber AlNiCo 6'' (unfortunetly jensen doesnt make small alnico's) but you could also squeeze a Jensen P8R bigger but sounds nice.

Obviously i don't know much about the mercury kit but thought you'd like an alternative :D

p!


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Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:53 am
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You could build a Champ for not much more and it's not hard to do if you can solder. The 600's a sweet amp but $250.00 is a bit steep. Personally I wouldn't do it on a sub $200 amp unless it was vintage and needed it, but I'm not you. They make some of the best transformers out there.


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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:10 am
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are the transformers that important?

i did a quick look at buying components (speaker, tubes, transformers) and it came out to more than the cost of the merc mag kit!

i know that tubes and a new weber 6" will give me a lot for cheap but if i neglect the transformers...will it just be the same thin sound?


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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:27 am
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Yep they are important. Is it still thin with the Les Paul?

You could try an extension cab with a 10 or 12" speaker. The more air you move the louder and less thin it will appear to sound. The drawback to the 600 is it has no tone control and a tiny speaker. I've played and owned everything from a tiny Pignose practice amp to a Twin Reverb and lots of stuff in between. My 74 Champ is only 6 watts but it has a tone circuit and an 8" speaker.

Not to sound disrespectful, it is a practice amp and not really a good amp to gig with . You could take the $250 and buy a new Fender Super Champ that has 15 watts and a lot of other goodies for around $50 more. If you spend $250 on the trannies you'll have spent roughly $450 on that little amp. You could try a graphic equalizer to fatten up the tone too.

Like I said, I wouldn't sink that much cash into such a limited featured amp, I'd build my own.


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Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:22 pm
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63supro

i agree with you that this is in fact a "practice amp"

i wouldnt have bought it for the purposes of gigging...

is it worth putting in more to modify an amp than the amp is worth?

that i do not know...thats a tricky topic that holds weight in many circles...not just guitar gearhead circles...people have these debates about cars, computers, houses...etc...

my intention in researching more about the mercury magnetics kits is simply one of impulse!

if there wasnt any kit developed for the champ 600...i wouldnt want one!
it can stand on its own and i can grow to love it unquestionably!

what made me so curious was the prospect of taking something so small and almost folksy looking...and turning into a fire-breathing monster!
haha

i like the idea of boutique amps and their price points dont scare me away but their is something inherently pretentious in the ownership of a boutique amp in my opinion.
(unless you really know how to wail that is!)

i like the idea of learning on my champ...growing both in age and skill level with it...and i like the idea of friends coming by expecting one thing and then being completely blown away by something else!

bottom line...is $450 worth the performance?
(you can get alot of amp for $450...but at the same time not really)

based solely on the transformers and the companies reputation...do they have a right to command such prices and make such claims?

is it a feasible gain?

thanks again everyone for reading my novels!


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Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 3:06 pm
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Mercury Magnetic make some of the finest transformers in the industry. A lot of care and precision goes into the manufacturing process. You could always try running it through a closed back extension cabinet and a 12 inch speaker. The more air you can push, the better and bigger it will sound, or try a different 6" speaker.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:19 am
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thanks for the idea 63supro

ill give that a try at my buddies place...

so the merc trannies are that sick huh??

hmmmmmmmm...


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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:59 pm
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Let me know what you think :mrgreen:


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